The Fighter
by greysfan16
Summary: This is both Mark/Lexie and Callie/Arizona and how the four of them come together to fight for the baby who has all the odds stacked against her.
1. Stepping Up

Stepping Up

Mark hadn't left his daughter's side from the moment she had been taken from Callie's body. He couldn't believe that this was how the pregnancy had ended. It had been unspoken between him and Arizona that she would stay with Callie while he kept vigil over their tiny baby. Mark knew that the odds were against this baby but he also knew that his baby girl was a Sloan and Sloan's were tough. They never gave up no matter how hard life was. He knew Callie was going to ask to see her when she woke up. If she woke up. Mark wouldn't allow himself to think that way. Callie had to wake up. Mark needed her. Arizona needed her and their baby girl needed her.

Arizona was sitting at Callie's beside telling her about the baby and willing the woman she loved to just wake up. Arizona needed to see Callie's eyes again. She couldn't bear the thought that she might never get to see Callie open her eyes. Finally Callie's eyes opened and she spoke to Arizona. Arizona had never been more relieved than she was in that moment. Callie was awake and talking and right now that was all Arizona cared about.

Callie was pretty out of it due to all the drugs that she was on. The one thing that stood out in her mind was her baby. Was her baby okay? She looked at Arizona, hoping that her blonde girlfriend could read the question in her eyes so Callie didn't have to voice it. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"They had to take her out in order to save your life." Arizona whispered. Callie felt a trickle of tears run down her cheek and she winced as the salt hit her cheek abrasions. Then she realized Arizona had said "she" Callie attempted to smile, but the effort hurt so she stopped trying.

"Mark hasn't left her side since she was born." Arizona added trying to think of questions that she knew Callie would have. Again Callie attempted a smile but it still hurt so she stopped.

"She's tiny, but beautiful. She's a fighter Calliope." Arizona whispered. She was doing her best to be a mom and not a doctor ,but it was hard. She knew what challenges this baby faced better than either of it's other parents.

Callie wanted to see her more than anything. She knew that it would be awhile before she could hold her, but Callie just wanted to see her.

"Take me…To her." Callie pleaded. Arizona hated having to say no to her, but she knew that there was no way Callie was strong enough to get out of bed.

"You just had major surgery Calliope." Arizona told her as she shook her head.

"I need to be with my daughter." Callie begged. Arizona hated to see Callie getting so upset by this. She wished she had a magic wand or something to make everything different.

"Mark's with her." Arizona reminded her. Callie attempted to shake her head but that hurt too so she had to stop. She tried to move her legs to the edge of the bed so she could get up and out of the bed.

"Calliope lay down. I'll go check on her and I'll be right back." Arizona pleaded. The last thing she wanted was Callie to try to rush her recovery. Callie sighed, knowing that Arizona was right. She suspected that her adrenaline was kicking in and that's why it didn't hurt much to move her legs. She was glad Arizona was here to calm her down.

"Okay." Callie whispered as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. Really she hated this. She couldn't even go see her micro-preemie. She needed to be there for her daughter. Right now though she needed to allow Mark to take care of things and Arizona would be going back and forth between the baby and Callie.

"Tell her…Tell her I love her." Callie whispered as she locked her dark eyes on Arizona's blue ones.

"I will Calliope. Promise." Arizona whispered reassuringly before she left the room.

Arizona stepped into the NICU and she saw Mark immediately. She recognized the back of his head and his graying hair before anything else. She had been right. Mark hadn't left the baby's side since she had been brought into the NICU.

"How is she doing?" Arizona whispered as she walked up to the baby's incubator. She could tell that Mark had been crying but she wasn't going to mention it to him. After all he had apologized to her for what he had said and Arizona knew that they needed to come together and work together. For the baby and for Callie.

"She's hanging in there." Mark told Arizona. Arizona was right. Mark had been crying and he was hoping that Arizona wouldn't mention it. He needed to believe that his daughter would beat the odds. Arizona moved to stand beside him and she looked at the baby for the first time as a mom and not as a doctor trying to get her to live.

"I'm a mom." Arizona whispered in wonderment. Finally she had a child. She and Callie and Mark were finally parents.

"And I'm a dad." Mark added. Arizona looked at him wondering if he was forgetting a vapid narcissistic teenager that he had been a part of creating nineteen years ago.

"You already were." Arizona reminded him.

"I was a sperm donor for her mother Arizona. And a cash machine for her." Mark told her. This time he actually felt like a father. This time he was going to do things right. Arizona nodded, feeling relieved that he finally understood what everyone else had seen when Sloane had manipulated him last year.

"She's beautiful." Arizona murmured as she looked at the baby.

"What are her chances?" Mark asked. He was scared to death of losing this baby. He hated this. He had wanted Callie to carry to term and then scream at him for knocking her up.

"I can't answer that. It's not up to me." Arizona murmured. She really hated when she was asked these questions.

"Please Arizona." Mark whispered. He needed to know what her chances were.

"It's up to her and God, Mark." Arizona told him. Mark hated answers like that. He already knew that his daughter was a fighter. Just by looking at her, he could tell.

"Arizona." Mark warned softly.

"50/50"Arizoana finally told him. Mark equated that to a coin toss. Heads his daughter lives. Tails she dies. That wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He fought the secret desire to just run. He didn't care where but he couldn't allow himself to get attached to this baby and then have her die. Of course he was already attached to his daughter and he couldn't just run out on another child. Even though watching her suffer was awful, he would not revert to the asshole he was twenty years ago.

"She looks like Callie." Mark finally commented softly. Arizona smiled, having noticed that herself.

"Yes she does." Arizona agreed. The two of them had finally put their differences aside to help the two girls who they both loved.

Lexie had gone home with Jackson but no sooner had she got home, than she realized that she needed to be at the hospital. She had apologized to Jackson who seemed to realize that he wasn't who she wanted to be with and then she had hurried back to the hospital. Lexie knew that Mark was in the NICU and likely hadn't even left his daughter's side. For the first time, Lexie wasn't sure where she should go. She didn't want to interrupt Mark's time with his daughter because no one knew if that baby would defy the odds. If she went to Callie, she knew she'd have a lot to say to her and she really didn't think Callie needed to hear her crazy rant right now.

Somehow Lexie had found herself sitting on the same stairs that just hours ago she had found Mark sitting on. Lexie was exhausted. Emotionally and physically. She dropped her head in her hands and exhaled a huge sigh. Jackson was right. Lexie was in love with Mark and Lexie was so tired of trying to deny it. She wasn't about to drop it on him now. He had more important things to think about right now. She only looked up when she heard a door open. She saw shoes first. No one she knew wore those shoes. They were way too fancy.

"Lexie?" The voice asked confusedly. Lexie looked up and froze. It was the redhead who had been a sore point between her and Mark. Lexie had been hoping she wouldn't have to see her while she was here taking care of Callie.

"Dr. Montgomery?" Lexie greeted her politely.

"Why are you hiding?" Addison asked. She knew that things weren't great between Lexie and Mark and that they hadn't been for about a year, but why was she hiding and what was she hiding from?

"I'm not." Lexie insisted. Which was true. She just wasn't sure where to go.

"If the worst happens, he's going to need you." Addison pointed out. She knew that Mark didn't show his vulnerable side to a lot of people, but she did know that he loved Lexie and would need her if his daughter didn't make it.

"I don't know if I'm ready for all of this but I know how I feel about him." Lexie whispered. It was ironic that she was talking about this to one of the women who had come between her and Mark. Addison was glad that Lexie was willing to admit that she was still in love with Mark because Addison knew that Lexie would make Mark happy and Addison wanted that for her old friend.

"Then you need to tell him." Addison told her.

"Not when he's got so much else going on. I don't want to put this on him." Lexie insisted.

"You aren't putting anything on him. You are confessing your feelings for him. You are telling him that he's the one for you." Addison insisted. Addison wished she had more comforting words to speak to the younger woman, but she couldn't think of anything.

"I'm going to go find him." Lexie announced as she stood up and swiped at her tearstained cheeks. Addison smiled, glad that Lexie wasn't done fighting for Mark. Lexie was good for him and he was good for her. Addison had never thought that they would last, but Addison was realizing now that they would.

"He's in the NICU. He refuses to leave her side." Addison told Lexie. Lexie nodded. Her suspicions had been confirmed by the tall redhead. Addison watched as Lexie left the stairwell and then Addison left and headed to Callie's room to check on her.

Lexie hoped that the tall redhead was right. She knew that she loved Mark and it had taken something like this to make her realize that she could handle being a mom and that she was ready for that. She was ready to be one of three moms for this tiny baby. She made her way to the NICU. Once she got to the doorway, she just stopped in the doorway and watched Mark.

"Mark?" Lexie whispered. Mark turned away from his daughter for the first time to look at Lexie. He knew what she was thinking just by looking at her. The two of them often had this unspoken communication and now it was being used. Lexie crossed the doorway and made her way to Mark's side. Arizona had gone back to Callie only minutes before and Mark had been having a discussion with his daughter.

"She's beautiful." Lexie whispered, for the first time getting a closer view of the baby. She was so small, but Lexie knew that she was a fighter.

"She looks like Callie." Mark commented with a small smile as he looked at her. He wanted to hold her, protect her from the world, but he couldn't do that and he hated knowing that.

"I see you in her too." Lexie told him. Mark was surprised because he thought she was all Callie.

"Right now. This baby is my priority Lex." Mark informed her. Lexie nodded. She understood. After all his baby was just barely a pound.

"That doesn't change the fact that I love you." Lexie told him quietly. Mark loved hearing that come out of her mouth.

"You…You're it for me Mark." Lexie whispered. She hated that he hadn't said anything yet. She was starting to feel like she was mistaken and that the tall redhead was mistaken as well.

"Oh Lexie." Mark murmured. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this. On the day his daughter was born he was being told that the woman he loved, loved him too. This day really had the makings of the best and worst day of his life.

"I love you too." Mark told her. Lexie moved closer to him and he put his arms around her and held her as they both watched the baby.

"I'm sorry for everything Lex." Mark murmured into her chocolate brown hair.

"Don't apologize. We're here now together." Lexie told him. She didn't want him to focus on the past. She wanted to focus on the future. Their future.

"Thank you." Mark told her softly. Mark had no intention on leaving the baby. His job was a father was to be there for everything and he wasn't leaving his daughter.

"Now go eat something, shower and take a nap." Lexie told him. She knew that Mark was going to run himself ragged and Lexie knew that would help no one.

"I have to stay here with her. I don't want her to be alone." Mark argued. Lexie shook her head. She was not going to let this baby be alone.

"I'll sit with her. She needs to get to know Mommy Lexie." Lexie whispered. Mark looked at her, willing himself not to cry. He had spent more time crying in the last twenty-four hours than in his entire life. Lexie was stepping up and she wanted to join this real life modern family.

"Thank you Lex." Mark whispered as he stood up. He touched the incubator one last time before he left the NICU in search of food, a shower and a bed though not necessarily in that order.


	2. Holding On

A/N I was so surprised to see the reaction from this new fic.

Holding On

It had been just a few days since the baby was born and she still didn't have a name yet. Arizona and Mark had decided to wait on that until Callie had seen her. Mark, Arizona, Addison and Lexie had taken shifts with both the baby and Callie so everyone could get some sleep and a shower and food in their stomachs. Mark usually had to be pulled away from his daughter and Arizona usually had to be kicked out of Callie's room. Neither of them felt right when they weren't with the baby or with Arizona,

Lexie had used the last few days to reassure both Callie and Mark that she was in it for good. She had taken some time to be okay with all of this but she had come to realize that this baby was very lucky to have so many people who loved her. Lexie had spent a lot of time with the baby telling her stories. Lexie just wanted the baby to get used to her voice so she was just talking about anything that came into her head.

Lexie was in the NICU when Mark and Arizona came in, rolling Callie's wheelchair between them. Lexie could tell that Callie was feeling all sorts of emotions. She wasn't going to pry about it because it wasn't any of her business. If Callie needed someone to talk to, Lexie would be there to talk to her though. Lexie couldn't imagine the thoughts that were running through Callie's head.

Callie was scared to see her baby. Mark, Arizona, Addison and Lexie had all told her that the baby was small but she was also a fighter. Callie felt so much guilt for putting her daughter through this. If she had just ignored the beeping of her phone, then she would have had her seatbelt on and she wouldn't have been thrown into a window. It wasn't anyone's fault but hers. Arizona had told her to put her seat belt on but before Callie was able to do that, the truck came out of no where.

"It's my fault she's here already." Callie whispered. Arizona felt tears slipping down her cheeks when she heard Callie's words. It wasn't Callie's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault except that damn truck driver's fault.

"Calliope no. Don't say that." Arizona whispered. Mark hated seeing Callie feel so guilty. It wasn't her fault that their daughter was here already.

"She's right Callie. It was an accident." Mark murmured. Lexie kept silent because she didn't feel she had the right to make a statement yet. These three had been dealing with the delicate nature of this situation for months before she had come on board.

"She's so tiny." Callie whispered.

"But she's a fighter." Arizona whispered.

"And she needs a name." Mark added.

That was the one thing that these three hadn't discussed. They had assumed that they'd have awhile longer so they didn't rush that discussion. Now she really did need a name.

"How about Sofia after my grandmother?" Callie whispered as she stroked her daughter's tiny arm.

"And Danielle for a middle name. Let's her middle name be after her Uncle Daniel only a girl version of it." Arizona suggested. Daniel of course had been Arizona's brother who had been killed at war. Mark was almost sure he was going to get shot down for his suggestion, but he figured he could try it.

"And Sloan for a last name." Mark suggested. Lexie smiled, glad that they had all been able to name this baby and give her a part of each of them. Mark was convinced that Arizona was going to argue so it surprised him when she didn't argue.

"Sofia Danielle Sloan." Callie whispered. She smiled at her daughter and breathed a sigh of relief that her daughter finally had a name.

"I love it." She finally said aloud to the others in the room. Arizona and Mark exchanged glances and smiled at each other.

"It's perfect Calliope." Arizona assured her softly.

"Like her." Mark added. She was perfect. Despite her tiny size she was perfect to all four people in that room.

"I'm not leaving her until she is well enough to come off of that vent." Callie told the room. The other three adults in that room knew that Sofia would be in there for a long time. They would not let Callie run herself ragged.

"Calliope you need to take care of yourself. Mark and I have taken a leave of absence from the hospital so we can be with you and our daughter." Arizona told Callie. She and Mark had made that collective decision the night Sofia was born. Lexie and Callie both looked at Mark and Arizona confusedly. Neither of them had known this.

"But she's my daughter." Callie protested.

"She's ours too Callie." Lexie told her softly. Callie looked at Lexie and smiled weakly. Callie was happy that Lexie had come around. Mark was happier with Lexie in his life. Already Callie could tell a difference.

"Lexie's right Callie. We're here with her whenever you can't be. We aren't going to let her be alone." Mark told her.

"Promise?" Callie asked, looking away from the baby to look at the other three parents in the room. She didn't want Sofia to be alone even just a minute. Someone needed to be here with her at all times. Lexie looked at her and all she saw this time was a scared mother who wanted her baby to live. Before, as awful as it sounded, all she had seen was another woman who had managed to worm her way in between Lexie and Mark. Irrational, Lexie knew, and she was glad not to feel that way anymore.

"Just breathe Callie. We've got this. Just relax." Lexie reassured her. She remembered saying almost those exact words to Callie when she went in for surgery the first time.

"I-I want her baptized. Just in case she doesn't make it." Callie whispered. She knew that there was still a big chance that Sofia wouldn't make it, and that was why there was such urgency on getting her baptized. Callie knew that the other three parents hadn't grown up in a church like she had. In Mark and Arizona's cases they were only ever in a church for special occasions like weddings and funerals. Lexie had attended church on holidays with her family.

"Okay Calliope." Arizona agreed as she exchanged glances with Mark and Lexie to make sure they were okay with it.

"I called your parents and your sister. They all wanted to come, but I asked them to wait until you and the baby were stronger." Arizona told Callie. Callie breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't think she could handle her family so soon. She knew her father would yell at her for getting pregnant with someone she wasn't even seeing. When he found out it was Mark, Callie knew her father would blow a fuse.

"Thank you." Callie told her fiancée softly. She was already growing tired and she knew that she needed to get some rest, but she was reluctant to leave Sofia. She had never understood a mother's love until now. Now she realized that she loved this tiny baby more than anything in the world and she wanted Sofia to make it so badly.

"Callie let's get you back into bed." Lexie suggested. She knew that it was going to be a battle to get Callie to get back into bed, but it was important. Sofia needed her mother to get stronger.

"No, I can't leave her." Callie whispered she kept rubbing her daughter's arm lightly. She didn't feel like she could leave her yet.

"She needs her mama to stay strong Calliope. Please go back to bed." Arizona whispered.

"I'll be with her Callie. You just had major surgery four days ago. You still need to heal" Mark told her kindly. He knew Callie would run herself ragged for their daughter if they let her. He also knew that he'd be kicking and screaming if someone tried to pull him away from Sofia.

"I never thought I'd say this, but he's right. Sofia needs her mama to heal." Arizona told Callie.

"I'll take her back." Lexie offered. She wanted to let Arizona and Mark chat alone if they needed to. They both loved Callie and they needed to make sure that she took care of herself.

"I'm right here. Don't talk over me." Callie muttered under her breath. These three were talking like she wasn't even there. Callie was not happy about that, It made her wishes and desires feel unimportant and not considered.

"Sorry Calliope. Lexie, take her back to her room." Arizona told Lexie with a nod of her head.

"And if something happens to her?" Callie asked.

"I'll come get you." Mark promised. Callie swallowed hard and nodded slowly. She was tired and she did want to get stronger. Seeing how hard Sofia was fighting was inspiring and Callie wanted to keep getting better so she could spend more time with her daughter.

"Mama loves you Sofia." Callie whispered before she dropped a kiss on the incubator. Finally Lexie was able to wheel Callie out of the NICU, leaving Mark and Arizona alone. Mark pulled up a chair and sat down next to his daughter's incubator. It wasn't his turn technically but he wanted to stay with her. Arizona stood beside him and looked at their daughter.

"You really should go lay down for a bit." Arizona suggested. Mark shook his head. He wasn't leaving his daughter's side. Not now.

"Later." Mark told her shortly. Arizona wished that Callie or Lexie were here. They knew Mark better than she did and they could get him to do whatever they wanted.

"It's Lexie's turn isn't it?" Arizona asked. She was drawing a blank on whose turn it was to sit with Sofia. That was more than likely due to the complete exhaustion she was dealing with.

"Yes. I'll sit with her until Lexie returns." Mark told Arizona firmly. Arizona sighed, knowing Mark was not going to be dissuaded.

"Page me if anything changes. I'm going to go eat something." Arizona told Mark. Mark nodded. He was starving, but right now all that mattered was this tiny micro preemie by the name of Sofia Danielle Sloan.

"Do you want anything?" Arizona offered.

"I want my daughter to live. That's what I want." Mark told her quietly. Mark never admitted to being scared but whenever he looked at his daughter, he felt fear. He didn't want her to feel pain and he didn't want to lose her.

"I know Mark, but I meant was do you want anything to eat?" Arizona clarified. It was different for her to see Mark like this. So desperate for his daughter to live and willing to do anything to make sure it happened.

"No. Thanks for the offer though Ro-Arizona." Mark had been about to call her Robbins but he had stopped himself. She was Arizona. They were parents together for as long as their daughter lived and he had to call Arizona by her first name from now on. Arizona smiled and nodded before she dropped a soft kiss on the incubator just as Callie had done.

"See you later Sofia. Mama Arizona loves you." Arizona whispered. She had to get out of there before she broke down again. She didn't want Mark to see her break. She knew he was barely holding on as it was and she didn't want him to feel like he had to help her handle all of this. Not when they really didn't like each other all that much. Arizona finally left the NICU and Mark returned to the conversation he had been having with his daughter the last time they were alone.

Lexie walked back into the NICU twenty minutes after settling Callie back into bed. She had given Callie some medication to help her sleep and then Lexie had gone to get something to eat. She heard Mark talking to Sofia and she smiled. Lexie had been one of the only people who had known that Mark possessed this softer gentler side and she loved knowing that other people were finally getting to see it.

"How is she doing?" Lexie asked softly as she pulled up a chair next to Mark.

"She's stable right now." Mark replied before he turned to look at Lexie. He hoped that she wasn't going to try to get him to leave the NICU. He knew it was her time with Sofia, but the idea of leaving his daughter turned him into a bundle of nerves.

"Go lay down. I'll sit with her." Lexie told him softly. Like with Arizona, Mark shook his head.

"She needs me. I'm not leaving her." Mark insisted. Lexie sighed, knowing that this was going to be harder than she had realized.

"She needs her daddy to be strong and you can't do that for her without sleep." Lexie argued.

"I can't sleep." Mark admitted. Every single time it had been his turn to get some sleep in the on call rooms, he had tossed and turned and never fallen asleep.

"Then just get out of here. I have more things to talk to Sofia about. Girly things." Lexie told him. Lexie hated hearing that Mark wasn't sleeping and she made a mental note to get him some sleeping pills. Mark sighed and nodded. Lexie had asked him to take some time for himself and he would do that. Because he loved her and because Sofia and Callie needed him to take care of himself.

"Okay." Mark finally agreed. He dropped a kiss on the incubator just like both Callie and Arizona had done before him. Then he kissed Lexie on the cheek.

"Daddy loves you Sofia. So keep fighting." Mark told his tiny daughter softly. Lexie smiled at him and Mark looked at her and smiled back.

"And I love you too Lexie." Mark added.

"We love you too." Lexie assured him softly. Mark finally left the NICU and as he stepped out into the hallway, he wondered where he should go. He knew he needed to feed himself and probably shower too. His legs carried him elsewhere though. His legs carried him to the elevator and his fingers punched the up arrow rather than the down arrow. When he stepped off at the highest floor, he found himself facing the doorway to the chapel. He took a deep breath and walked into the chapel. It was empty, which suited him just fine. He didn't know how to pray, but ever since Callie and Arizona had been brought to the hospital ,that was all he had been doing. He sank into a front row pew and bowed his head and hoped that the words would come to him. Words that God would listen to.


	3. Alliances

A/N Lexie and Mark will not leave me alone.

Alliances

Mark had always felt uncomfortable at church. He always felt like he was being judged for the decisions he had made in the past. But as he sat in that front pew of the hospital chapel, none of that was on his mind. His love for his daughter was on his mind. He needed his daughter to beat the odds. He couldn't let God take away the best thing in his life. Because Sofia was the best thing in his life. Lexie was a close second, but Sofia was number one. Mark couldn't allow himself to think about losing her.

"God, I know we don't talk much. Actually I don't think I've ever really talked to you, but I need your help. My daughter…she was born way too early and I'm scared. I'm scared she won't live. If you could please spare her, I'll…I'll go to church regularly. I'll do anything if you let her live." Mark's voice was shaking so badly that he had to stop and compose himself before he continued.

"She's just a tiny baby with four parents who love her more than anything. You have to spare her." Mark begged. He doubted begging or bargaining would work with God, but he really couldn't think of anything else he could do. He had to appeal to the higher being even if he wasn't sure if God really existed.

He had made a promise to himself not to allow Arizona or Callie to see him break. They didn't need to worry about him as well as Sofia. Mark knew that Lexie would worry about him no matter what. She was the woman he trusted most with his heart and his true feelings. Callie was his best friend, but Lexie was the woman he loved. He blamed himself for the accident. If he hadn't been freaking out over Lexie being with Jackson, Callie wouldn't have been reaching for her phone without her seat belt on. He didn't confess those thoughts to anyone else because Mark knew that they would assure him that it was not his fault and that it was just a random thing.

"I…I caused it. I caused my daughter to be born so early." Mark whispered. He wasn't sure if he was talking to God to just saying things aloud. He needed Sofia to be okay. Or else he would always see himself as the guy who killed his own daughter.

"No you didn't Mark." A soft female voice told him. Mark looked up and Arizona was standing there beside him.

"If I had just dealt with things like-"Mark started to protest.

"It wasn't your fault Mark. It was just a random senseless accident." Arizona whispered as she rested one hand on Mark's shoulder.

"That nearly cost Callie her life and caused Sofia to be born extremely early." Mark pointed out.

"I know Mark." Arizona whispered. She didn't even want to think about how close she had been to losing Callie. Thinking about it made her stomach turn and her heart race.

"How did you know I was up here?" Mark asked. He couldn't see how she would have figured it out. Unless she hadn't been looking for him at all and just happened to be up here at the same time as he was.

"You said you hadn't stopped praying." Arizona whispered. She remembered when Mark had told her that and she had been really surprised. She never thought of Mark as the one to pray when things were bad.

"I haven't." Mark confirmed quietly. Of course he couldn't guarantee that he had a way with words when it came to talking to God.

"She'll make it Mark. She has to." Arizona whispered. This time Mark knew she was talking about Sofia.

"I…I don't know Arizona. She's so small." Mark murmured. He tried to stay strong for both Sofia and Callie but he was downright terrified that Sofia would die and Mark didn't want to think about that.

"She's tough like her mom. She'll make it." Arizona told him as she sat down beside him. She wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure Mark or herself. Maybe both. She pulled a slightly crumpled roast beef sandwich out of her bag and handed it to Mark. Mark looked at the sandwich like it was foreign. As if on cue, his stomach growled hungrily.

"Thanks." Mark finally told Arizona as he put the sandwich down beside him, thinking that he'd eat it later. Arizona nodded before she folded her hands and bowed her head.

"Dear God, I know we don't talk much, but I need you. I need you to save our daughter. She is so beautiful and she looks so much like the woman I love. Please spare her. Not only for me but for her dad too and her two other moms. All of us love her and we'll be lost if we lose her. Give us a sign that everything is going to be all right." Arizona had vowed not to let anyone see her break down, but before she could stop herself, she felt the tears slipping down her cheeks. Mark wasn't sure if she'd let him, but he put his arm around her anyway. Arizona turned her body towards his buried her face in his scrub shirt and finally let herself have a really good cry. Mark put both of his arms around her and held her as she cried. Mark was glad that Arizona was finally allowing herself to break down in front of him. Maybe they could eventually stop hating each other. For Sofia's benefit and for Callie's

"This isn't fair." Arizona whispered through her tears.

"No it isn't." Mark agreed softly. He had been looking forward to this baby from the moment he had learned about it, but he had never expected the pregnancy to end like this. Mark's shirt was completely soaked in Arizona's tears but he hardly noticed.

"She's just a tiny baby." Arizona whispered. Mark was truly at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to Arizona to make her feel better because he didn't know how to make himself feel better. So he sat in silence, holding the woman that his best friend loved. Mark felt bad because it hadn't even occurred to him to remember what Arizona had likely been going through on that day. Everyone had been so concerned about him and how he was doing. Arizona must have felt like an afterthought.

"I'm sorry Arizona." Mark finally told her.

"Sorry for what?" Arizona asked, slightly confused.

"For everyone not realizing that you weren't okay that day." Mark answered.

"It's okay, I'm nothing, remember?" Arizona whispered.

"I shouldn't have said that and I apologized for that. We're parents and I should have insisted that people go check on you." Mark told her. He had lived with the fear that Callie and Arizona's relationship would push him out of the child's life and he didn't want that. He didn't want to be pushed out.

"I was scared to death that you and Callie would push me out of the baby's life." Mark finally admitted softly. Arizona had had no idea that Mark had felt that way. She too had been afraid that she would be pushed out. After all the baby had a mom and dad. There was no room for her in that picture.

"I was scared that Calliope and you would push me out. I'm just Mama's fiancee, but you are Daddy and she is Mama." Arizona whispered. Mark was startled when she called herself Callie's fiancee. He had had no idea that Callie was planning to propose. Calli8e hadn't breathed a word of it to him. Mark decided to let it go and talk to Callie about it later.

"She wouldn't have let you be pushed out Arizona. Nor would I have pushed you out. You are important to her and you are important to Sofia too." Mark told her.

"I wouldn't have pushed you out either." Arizona told Mark. It felt good to both of them to get to clear the air.

Lexie had been given a reprieve when Addison had offered to sit with Sofia before Lexie's shift had ended. Lexie gladly took it and went to see Callie. She had no idea where Mark was but she guessed that Arizona would be with Callie. To her surprise, Callie was alone watching a really bad Spanish soap opera that just happened to be on at that time.

"I thought Arizona would be here with you?" Lexie asked as she walked into the room.

"She texted me and told me she had gone to eat and then she was going to force feed Mark." Callie told Lexie. Lexie doubted that Mark would eat much, but at least Arizona was trying to get him to eat.

"Well if anyone can get him to eat, Arizona can. She deals with stubborn kids all day. A stubborn man can't be much harder." Lexie pointed out. She knew Mark was stubborn and didn't do what people wanted him to do sometimes. But she loved him despite all of that.

"He acts like a five year old sometimes and Arizona's good with five year olds." Callie agreed.

"How are you feeling?" Lexie asked kindly.

"Tired and pretty sore all over." Callie admitted. She was downplaying exactly how much pain she was in because she didn't want anyone to worry about her and drug her up more. Callie wanted to be clearheaded and lucid for her daughter.

"Callie…" Lexie warned. She could tell that Callie was downplaying the pain she was in. As a doctor, Lexie was aware when patients weren't being truthful to her.

"I'm fine Lexie. I swear. I just want to be with Sofia and I hate that I can't be with her right now." Callie told her.

"She's not alone. Addison's with her." Lexie assured Callie. Addison had a very important place in Callie's life. She had delivered Sofia and Callie trusted the tall redhead with her life and with her daughter's life. Lexie still felt inferior to the older woman but she was beginning to realize that Mark didn't want Addison. If he had truly wanted her, he would have stayed in LA last year. But he didn't. He returned for Lexie.

"Good. How's Mark holding up?" Callie asked. She was worried about Mark and that was something she knew Mark was trying to avoid.

"He's not sleeping." Lexie told Callie quietly. She knew that she shouldn't burden Callie with this, but she had asked.

"He needs to. Sofia needs him to." Callie murmured.

"I know." Lexie confirmed. Callie wished she could write her best friend a prescription for sleeping pills, but since she was a patient, she wasn't allowed to.

"I'll ask Addison to write him a prescription." Callie told Lexie. Lexie nodded. She knew that she would not have been able to write one for her boyfriend, She doubted Arizona would either. Of course Callie wasn't a doctor right now so she couldn't either.

"They really hate each other, don't they?" Lexie asked Callie. It didn't make sense to her why Mark and Arizona were always at each others throats.

"I think they resent the places they each have in my life and heart." Callie told Lexie, knowing instantly who the "they" was that Lexie was referring to. She wished that the two adults she loved most in this world would just stop acting like children.

"I bail too when things get hard." Lexie blurted out. Callie looked at her confusedly, wondering where that statement had come from.

"The day you found out about Sofia, Arizona was trying to get you back and she spent the entire day talking to Mark about her faults. Mark told her that she bails. So do I." Lexie explained. Mark had told her about that day when she got home that night.

"You aren't bailing this time though, are you?" Callie asked. Callie knew that Mark would hate to lose Lexie again.

"No. This is my family. Not the traditional family I'd dreamed of, but tradition is boring." Lexie assured Callie. Mark, Callie, Sofia and Arizona were her family. She was one of three moms. Obviously she would only ever be legally a step mom and that was only if Mark proposed, but she wouldn't consider herself a step mom. She felt like Sofia's mom.

"Sofia's lucky to have you." Callie told her. Lexie smiled, glad that she had been accepted into this family.

"I love him. Mark I mean." Lexie admitted softly. She had always loved him, though she tried to make Alex and Jackson into more than just guys she screwed.

"I know you do." Callie told Lexie. Callie had always known how Lexie felt about Mark and how Mark felt about Lexie. Watching them attempt to move on with other people was aggravating.

"Don't hurt him again Lexie. I mean it. I can't pick up the shattered pieces again." Callie told her. Lexie shook her head. He was it for her and she couldn't wait to marry him and have kids with him. A catastrophic incident like the car accident sometimes made people realize what was most important in the world. Lexie had come to realize that Mark was at the top of that list.

"I won't. He's the one for me Callie." Lexie told her softly. As Mark's best friend, Lexie knew she had a lot to prove to Callie before Callie would believe her.

"Good." Callie said firmly as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"Rest Callie. I'll go relieve Addison so she can get something to eat." Lexie told her. Callie nodded, too tired and sore to complain. Callie finally fell asleep, and Lexie left the room and headed for the NICU. Getting some of that stuff off of her chest felt good. Really good.


	4. A Chance

A/N I am still shocked to see the response this story has gotten. Thank you!

A Chance

None of the four parents could believe what they were hearing. They couldn't believe that Addison was telling them that their one pound, one ounce baby daughter needed surgery on her heart. She was only a week old and she was still stable, but the fact of the matter was she was tiny. The four of them stood around Sofia's incubator while Addison talked to them. As doctors they knew that over half of micro preemies like Sofia developed a PDA or a Patent Ductus Arteriosis which was a persistent connection between the large vessels of the heart. As parents though, they were all scared.

They knew that a PDA had been diagnosed just two days after she was born, but they had been hoping that the medications that she was being given would help. Five days later and they hadn't helped. The PDA was still there. They had all been hoping desperately to avoid surgery, but it didn't look like that was going to be possible now. Sofia needed the surgery to give her a shot at beating the odds.

Addison could see the emotion on everyone's face. She was doing her best to not get involved. But the fact of the matter was that this was Callie's baby. Callie had been an invaluable comfort to her during her final year in Seattle. Not only that, but Mark was a very old friend of hers and they had a long complex history between them Then Lexie asked the question that all four parents wanted to know but were too afraid to ask.

"Is she strong enough to withstand the surgery?"

Addison hated this question. Because truth be told she would have rather waited another few weeks before putting the baby through surgery. She ran through Sofia's vitals as professionally as possible, trying to avoid the question.

"Addie…"Mark choked out. He just wanted her to answer Lexie's question with honesty. He had been there every day all day. He know Sofia's vitals like the back of his hand. He didn't want to hear Addison recite them.

"I don't know. She's been stable this week. Stable in her case is a good thing. She's not getting any worse, but on the flip side I wish she was a little bigger." Addison finally told the group honestly.

"What are her chances Addison?" Arizona asked. She had tears in her eyes and she was doing her best not to let them fall.

"I really don't know Arizona. It could go either way. It could go smoothly and it could help her or it could go horribly wrong and she could end up being vent dependent." Addison told her. Mark was already shaking his head. Callie had been oddly silent throughout this whole conference, letting herself absorb what Addison was saying. Finally she let a few tears fall. Arizona gripped her fiancée's hand tightly.

"No, no. Not happening." Mark told the group firmly. For him, the risks were too great. He loved his baby girl more than anything and he wanted to keep her from feeling pain. He did not want to put his baby through heart surgery.

"Mark…it could help." Callie whispered tentatively.

"Could being the operative word. There's no guarantee." Mark pointed out.

"There's never a guarantee when a surgery is being done." Arizona reminded him.

"You aren't subjecting my daughter to more pain. No way." Mark insisted.

"She's not just yours Mark. You can't make this decision on your own. She's a part of all of us." Arizona snapped.

Arizona turned to Addison and bit her lip. She wasn't sure what Addison would say to her next question.

"You could do it, right? Even if Mark doesn't agree?" Arizona asked.

"You aren't going over my head Arizona. You…You aren't legally anything to Sofia. It's Callie's decision. And mine." Mark hissed. He was trying to keep his voice low, but he was getting angry. Lexie placed her hand on his arm, desperately hoping to calm him down. She knew he could lose his temper in an instant. She knew that he'd regret it later if he went off on Arizona. Arizona felt fresh tears pool in her eyes when she heard Mark's words. She knew he had apologized the day Sofia was born, but hearing him repeat those hurtful words was painful.

"You all have to be in agreement on this. I wouldn't feel right doing the surgery if Mark was against it." Addison told them.

"But legally you could, right?" Arizona pressed.

"Yes legally I could. All I would need is Callie's signature." Addison confirmed with a nod in Arizona's direction.

"Sign the consent forms Calliope." Arizona pleaded. Callie turned to Lexie who had been strangely silent after her initial question.

"What do you think Lexie?" Callie asked. Lexie was startled that her opinion was being requested. She still felt a bit like an outsider to this family. Lexie looked sideways at Mark before she spoke.

"We need to go for it. We need to give her every chance to beat the odds." Lexie saw Mark's jaw tighten at her words. Lexie knew Mark had expected her to side with him, but she couldn't do that. Sofia deserved the chance to fight for life. Callie nodded and then she looked at Mark. She needed to talk to him alone. She needed him to see that this was Sofia's chance.

"Can I have a few minutes alone with Mark?" Callie finally asked. The other three women nodded and they left the NICU to allow the legal and biological parents time to figure this out.

"What Callie? I'm not giving you permission to allow Addison and Teddy to open up our tiny daughter and perform heart surgery on her. She's not ready." Was the first thing out of Mark's mouth.

"We've all been calling her a fighter since she was born. How can we allow her to stop fighting if we don't consent to surgery?" Callie asked softly.

"How do we know when enough is enough Callie?" Mark asked. Mark had been struggling with this more than anyone knew. Of course he wanted Sofia to live, but at what cost?

"I want her to live Mark. She's my baby girl and I want to give her the best chance possible." Callie whispered.

"Can you live with it, if it doesn't work?" Mark asked.

"Yes, because at least I'll know that we did everything we could for her." Callie told him. Mark wished he had that same feeling but he didn't. He knew that if he consented to the heart surgery, and they lost Sofia on the table, he would always wonder if she would have lived if Mark had stuck to his guns and refused to consent.

"I'm scared too Mark." Callie finally whispered. She knew him better than anyone else even Lexie. She was his best friend and she knew his emotions and facial expressions very well. She knew he was terrified right now. He was a terrified father to a micro preemie that had a 50 to 60 percent chance of living.

"If you really believe that this is her best chance, then I'll consent." Mark finally whispered. Of course he was still scared to death of losing her, but he wanted her to be able to fight. He wanted to give her the best chance of beating the odds. Heart problems wasn't anything to be messed with. Callie was surprised that he finally gave in. She had expected him to continue to resist.

"Really?" Callie asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah. I want her to be able to fight. I don't want to take it away from her." Mark told Callie quietly. Callie hugged him and Mark hugged her back, being gentle because of her stitches.

They walked out of the NICU to where Addison, Arizona and Lexie stood waiting to hear the verdict. Arizona and Lexie prayed that Callie had been able to talk Mark into taking the risk and giving his consent for Sofia to have the surgery. Addison didn't know if that was possible. After all Mark was a very stubborn man.

"Let's go for it." Mark told Addison with a nod. Arizona and Lexie were both stunned. They had no idea what had changed Mark's mind about this. He had been so against it just ten minutes ago.

"Really?" Addison asked with a slight raise of her eyebrow. Addison was extremely surprised that Mark was giving his consent.

"Yes. I want her to be able to keep fighting." Mark confirmed. Addison passed Callie the consent forms and then Callie passed them to Mark. Mark's hand shook as he scrawled his name on the form.

"She'll go in this afternoon. I don't think Dr. Altman has any other patients." Addison told the group. She went to go find Teddy and let her know that the surgery was a go while the four parents went into the NICU to see Sofia.

That afternoon, the four parents were stuck waiting. They weren't even allowed to watch the surgery. Both Addison and Teddy had forbidden it. They were stuck in the waiting area. Callie's head was bowed in prayer, Arizona kept tapping her fingers on the armrests, Lexie was staring out the window and Mark was pacing. He couldn't sit still. He had to keep moving or he'd go crazy. He needed answers. He was letting Callie do the praying for all of them. Maybe she had better clout with God than anyone else did. Lexie kept looking over at Mark. She was worried about him. She knew he loved Sofia with all of his heart and she knew he was scared.

"This is fucking bullshit." Mark muttered mostly under his breath. Mark didn't wait well. He wanted to be watching the surgery and instead he was in the waiting area. Even farther away from his baby girl.

"How long did they say it should take?" Arizona finally asked. Her throat was dry so her words came out raspy.

"Four to six hours depending on how she does." Lexie replied absently. She was watching the sky on the first cloudless day Seattle had had in a really long time. She was hoping her mom was watching over Sofia. God she missed her mom. She wished her mom was here. Susan would know what to say and do in this situation.

"How long-"Callie started before Mark cut her off.

"She's been in there three hours already." Mark answered shortly.

"Does anyone want anything to eat?" Lexie offered. Lexie desperately needed something to do. This waiting thing was driving her insane.

"No." Callie replied flatly.

"No thanks Lexie." Arizona told her.

"No." Mark told her shortly. Lexie knew that they all had to eat something, but she couldn't force any of them to eat.

"Why haven't we been updated?" Callie asked no one in particular. This waiting stuff was hard on her but she was better at handling it than Mark was.

"I'm sure they are busy Callie." Lexie murmured. Lexie was concerned too and she wished Teddy or Addison would update them, but she understood that they were busy.

"I want to know how my baby daughter is doing." Callie insisted.

"Our baby daughter Calliope." Arizona corrected her gently. Callie nodded absently and then she bowed her head again.

"Do you want me to call your parents and your sister?" Mark offered. He knew that the Torres family had no idea that Sofia was having surgery right now. Arizona held up her hand. She didn't want Callie to have to answer any more questions. Sure Mark could go from brooding to chatty in about five seconds when he was anxious or nervous, but right now Callie didn't need to be answering any more questions.

"Later." Arizona mouthed to a still pacing Mark. Mark nodded, knowing that it was pointless to call now. They'd call later when Sofia was out and they had an idea of how surgery went.

The hours seemed to drag on. With that came the increased nervousness of all four parents. Callie had finally stopped praying and she and Arizona sat together, their hands clasped together. Lexie had gone to get something to eat and had brought back something for everyone. She was a nurturing sort and she knew that they all had to continue to take care of each other. Mark tried to sit and read a magazine, but after less than five minutes he was pacing again.

"It's been five hours. Surely they know something by now." Arizona murmured. God she hated this so much. She wanted to see their daughter.

"It's still within the range they gave us." Lexie pointed out.

"You…You don't think anything is wrong, do you?" Callie asked anxiously.

"They would have come to tell us if something had gone wrong." Lexie reminded her. Callie accepted that explanation. Probably because she wanted to.

Finally after six and a half hours, Teddy and Addison walked to the waiting area. They weren't sure what to say or how to start. It was days like this that they wished that they didn't have to do this. Arizona saw them first and she nudged Callie. Callie stood up as did Lexie. Mark came to a stop as he turned to face the two surgeons who had operated on Sofia. They looked so solemn and there wasn't even a hint of a smile on their faces. Callie swallowed hard and prayed that Mark's gut instinct hadn't been right. Nervously the four parents exchanged glances and waited for either Addison or Teddy to speak. They had to know good or bad and the suspense was killing them.


	5. Yes or No

A/N I know I was mean for the cliffhanger. So I tried to get an update up as soon as possible

Yes or No?

Addison and Teddy reached the four anxious parents, neither one of them wanting to be the first one to speak. They weren't sure how to say what had to be said. Addison in particular did not want to devastate these people. They were her friends. Teddy was closest to Arizona but like Addison, she had a sexual history with Mark. Finally Mark spoke, his patience disappearing fast. He needed to know how his daughter's surgery had gone.

"How did it go?"

Addison and Teddy exchanged glances. They both knew that Mark was going to blame himself for what had happened and they were concerned for him.

"Well, we were able to repair the PDA and we looked at the rest of her heart. All of the structures were there and they looked as good as possible for a micro preemie like Sofia." Teddy began.

"But?" Arizona whispered. She had worn Addison's look before. Addison's face clearly said that something had gone wrong. Addison looked at Teddy who gave a tiny nod. Addison took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Her heart stopped about halfway through the surgery." Addison started. Callie's heart dropped to her stomach. Her daughter had technically died on the table. Arizona's eyes filled with tears as did Lexie's. Mark swallowed hard and hoped that they had gotten her back.

"We were able to get her heart beating again-"Addison was cut off by Mark who needed answers.

"How long was her brain deprived of oxygen?" Mark demanded.

"About a minute, maybe more, maybe less." Addison explained. Arizona couldn't stop thinking of these complications that Sofia was enduring. It wasn't fair. Callie had completely crumpled and she had turned away from Addison and Teddy to cry softly into Arizona's shoulder.

"How much damage do you think was done?" Lexie asked quietly. She felt the tears continue to slide down her face, but she needed to ask this question. Sofia had become just as much hers as she was Arizona's or Callie's or Mark's. She loved Sofia and she felt like her mom.

"We won't know until we can run some brain function tests." Addison told them. Addison was struggling mightily to maintain professionalism when all she wanted to do was hug each of these four people who were scared out of their minds. Addison wanted to just be able to be their friend.

"Derek. Derek has to do them. No one else from the neurosurgery department touches her." Mark insisted. He was not letting anyone but the best for Sofia touch her. Not Dr. Nelson or any of the other neurosurgeons.

"I was thinking we could call Archer. Archer's the neurologist. Derek's the neurosurgeon." Addison suggested. Mark was already shaking his head even before Addison was done talking.

"Archer Montgomery is not touching Sofia. No way." Mark insisted. He didn't trust the slighter older doctor. He knew Addison adored him, but Mark was not letting Archer near Sofia. It was Derek or no one.

"If Addison says he's good…"Lexie spoke softly.

"I don't trust him. I trust Derek." Mark told her quite firmly.

Addison and Teddy exchanged glances both knowing that they had something else to bring up to the parents. They knew that this was going to be a tough question to ponder and that there was likely to be differing opinions.

"We were also wondering if you four would like to sign a DNR." Teddy finally asked the four parents. Callie's face emerged from Arizona's shoulder as the color drained from her face. Arizona and Lexie exchanged anxious glances. Mark couldn't believe that this was even being suggested. Did they expect her not to survive? He wanted her to fight. That was why he had agreed to the heart surgery in the first place. So she could fight. But then again, he didn't want her to suffer.

"I'm not giving up on her." Arizona told them fiercely. Sofia belonged to her and three other people who loved her. Arizona could not and would not give up on her. Sofia was a fighter.

"We aren't either Arizona. We just had to ask." Addison pointed out. Callie felt a wave of nausea hit her and she prayed she could refrain from puking.

"She's a fighter." Lexie whispered. She looked at Mark, wondering what was going on in that head of his. Callie was having doubts about not signing the DNR. Of course Callie wanted Sofia to live, but like Mark, she was starting to struggle with the question when was enough, enough? When should they back away and let nature take it's course. Callie knew that she couldn't tell Arizona that she was feeling like this. She could tell Mark though and she made a vow to discuss it with him later.

"Can we see her?" Mark asked. He was anxious to get back to his daughter's side. He had never been away from her for this long. He didn't want to discuss the DNR. Not now. Now he wanted to see Sofia.

"Yes, of course. She's in room 334."Addison told him. Without even thanking Addison or Teddy, Mark headed for the elevator. Callie followed him after thanking Addison and Teddy. Both Lexie and Arizona thanked both surgeons and followed Callie and Mark to the elevator. Watching them step into the elevator, Teddy turned to Addison.

"What's Mark's issue with your brother?" Teddy inquired curiously. Addison had told Teddy about Archer when they were trying to decide how to tell the four parents about Sofia's complication.

"They've never gotten along. Probably because at one time they were extremely similar. Both manwhores and both ridiculously talented. Plus it came out a few years ago that Archer had slept with two of Mark's girlfriends when Mark was out of town." Addison explained. Archer had never gotten along with Derek or Mark. The reasons for Archer not getting along with Derek had to do with the fact that he never thought Derek was good enough for Addison. That had been the Forbes Montgomery stance. Because Derek's family wasn't rich at all, the Forbes-Montgomery's thought he was beneath them. Teddy wondered how there could be another guy like Mark. Mark had been an arrogant prick who's sole desire was to sleep with anything female. Now he was different. Sofia had changed him for the better and Teddy was enjoying watching the transformation. Addison had seen a smaller transformation last year with Sloane, but this was entirely different. He was very different with Sofia than he had ever been with Sloane. Both women were enjoying watching the change in him.

When the four parents finally got to see Sofia, they formed a circle around her incubator, with Mark and Callie next to her head and Arizona and Lexie beside them.

"We can't give up on her Calliope." Arizona whispered. Callie wished she could answer with an affirmative no we can't, but she wasn't entirely sure that signing the DNR would be giving up on her. It could be a way of allowing her to pass peacefully if that was what was supposed to happen.

"But I can't watch her be in pain Arizona." Callie whispered. Lexie watched Arizona and Callie and wished she could offer something to them. This decision had to be made and yet Mark had yet to voice his opinion on the matter. Lexie's eyes shifted to Mark's face, wondering what his thoughts were. Mark's eyes hadn't looked up from his daughter since they had come into the room.

"As her father I want her to fight like hell, but I don't think I could watch her be in pain much longer." Mark finally spoke quietly. Callie looked at him, surprised that they seemed to be on the same page. Arizona was furious. She couldn't believe what she was hearing Mark say.

"We can't give up on her though Mark. She's strong and stubborn like her mama." Arizona argued. She couldn't believe that both Callie and Mark wanted to sign the DNR. She couldn't believe that they could both give up on Sofia so easily. Of course it wasn't easy on them. Callie and Mark both loved Sofia, but their desire to end her suffering was outweighing their desire to watch her fight.

"You're giving up on her." Arizona snapped as she shot Mark a hateful glare.

"I want her to be at peace and without pain." Mark shot back.

"Please don't fight. Please we have to think about what's best for Sofia." Lexie whispered as she chewed on her bottom lip. She knew Mark and Arizona had been at each other's throats constantly since before the pregnancy. The pregnancy had definitely escalated the fights and disagreements.

"Lexie's right. We have to think about her. Not what is best for her parents, but what is best for her." Callie whispered.

"And what's best for her is to end her suffering." Mark added softly.

"You mean kill her." Arizona shot back.

"No let her die." Callie whispered as she did her best to hold back tears.

"What the hell is the difference?" Arizona demanded.

"There is a big fucking difference." Mark growled.

Callie was listening to the arguments and discussions and she still couldn't believe she was being put in this position. God she hated this. She wished the accident had never happened. She wished she was still pregnant.

"You know this whole thing is your fault Arizona. If you hadn't decided to take Callie on a little trip there would have been no accident and we wouldn't be here with a one pound one ounce baby who just had to have fucking heart surgery. You caused this. It's your fault that Callie almost died and it's your fault that Sofia was born so early" Mark finally snapped. He had been holding that in for awhile and he had finally lost it with her. Arizona's eyes got big and tears filled her eyes. She couldn't believe he had said that to her. Actually yes she could. He was a mean person sometimes and he was proving it right now. Callie and Lexie's mouths had dropped open when Mark had spoken or rather had his little outburst. Callie could hardly believe that Mark had said that. Lexie didn't like this side of Mark. Truthfully he kind of scared her. Sofia's heart rate had gone up at that instant too and all eight eyes darted over to her monitors.

"Get out you two and let her calm down." Lexie ordered softly. She knew that this kind of stress would not be good for Sofia.

"You can't kick me out. She's my daughter." Mark argued hotly.

"I don't care. You and Arizona get out until you two can act like civilized adults." Lexie ordered. She was getting her chance to fight for what was best for Sofia. Arizona scowled but she followed Lexie's orders. Mark glared at Lexie for treating him like a child before he walked out of the room.

"Thank you Lexie." Callie whispered.

"I've never seen him like that before." Lexie admitted. And she never wanted to again. He was a good man. At least that's what Lexie had thought. His outburst had worried her. She was starting to wonder if she was a complete moron for getting back together with him.

"The stress of everything plus his need to blame someone finally boiled over." Callie murmured. She was worried about Arizona and about Mark. She suspected one of them would be arrested for murder one of these days.

"You aren't just making up excuses?" Lexie asked. Callie shook her head gently. She knew Mark had a good heart deep down. She knew that Mark was a good person.

"He loves you Lexie. I swear to you that he will never ever hit your or subject you to any kind of abuse." Callie reassured her. Lexie was relieved to hear that. She'd hate to have trusted Mark with her heart and have him shatter it through abuse. Lexie's eyes watched Sofia's monitor as her heart rate finally slowed down to normal.

"Sorry you had to witness that Sofia. Your mama Arizona and Daddy love you so much it sometimes causes them to fight. Stupid I know. They do love you just like Mama does and just like I do." Lexie told Sofia softly. Callie smiled as she listened to Lexie talk to Sofia.

"She has Mark's nose." Callie pointed out. Maybe it was wishful thinking because really something like that was hard to see in a baby as small as Sofia.

"She's gorgeous." Lexie commented softly.

"Sorry you had to hear Mama Arizona and Daddy yelling at each other sweetheart. Mama's here and so is Mama Lexie. Settle down and get some rest for now." Callie whispered.

Mark and Arizona weren't even looking at each other. They were watching Callie and Lexie in Sofia's room. They were grateful that Sofia had gotten a private room. They all knew that it was only until she was healed cardiac wise and then she'd be moved back into the NICU. Mark could still hardly believe what he had said. No he hadn't meant it. It had been an accident and the truck driver was the only one at fault. Not Callie. Not Mark and not Arizona. Mark knew that it would be awhile before Arizona would trust him or believe anything he said. He had an uphill battle to make things better with Arizona. But he knew he had to. For Sofia's sake and for Callie's.

Arizona was still desperately trying to stop the tears from flowing. Not only had he called her a nothing twice. But now he had blamed her for the accident. He blamed her for Callie nearly dying. He blamed her for Sofia being born so early. Arizona hated that he was such a big part of Callie's life and now Sofia's. She wished that he hadn't wanted to be involved with Sofia.

"Why couldn't you have pulled the same shit on Callie that you did on Samantha Riley?" Arizona muttered. Mark couldn't believe she had said that. He knew she resented the place he had in Callie's life and now Sofia's, but to say what she said, hurt him. He liked to think he was a different guy than he was nearly twenty years ago.

"Because I didn't want to be that guy again." Mark replied.

"Why not? Then Callie and I could have raised Sofia on our own without any damn input from you." Arizona snapped.

"Callie gave me the option to walk away, but I knew I couldn't take it. I didn't want to be that guy again." Mark admitted.

"You should have taken it." Arizona muttered.

"But I didn't. So deal with the fact that I am going to be part of Callie's life and Sofia's. I know you never wanted this. That was never a secret, but for Callie's sake and Sofia's just deal with it like a grownup." Mark snapped.

Arizona was pretty sure that she was going to have to murder this man. She doubted that she'd ever be completely okay with his presence in Callie's life but she had to admit he had been a very attentive father.

"Now I'd really like to be allowed back into Sofia's room so you think we could fake the reconciliation?" Mark asked. Arizona knew that they had a lot of stuff to work through, but right now they both wanted to be with Sofia.

"Yes." Arizona answered shortly. Mark nodded appreciatively before they made they way back to Sofia's room.

"May we come back in?" Mark asked.

"Have you two stopped acting like children?" Lexie asked. Both Mark and Arizona nodded. Callie and Lexie smiled, both clearly relieved. If Callie and Lexie weren't completely exhausted they would have been able to tell that Mark and Arizona were faking the reconciliation. Mark and Arizona took their previous places by Sofia and the four of them watched as she continued to sleep.

They would have may discussions about the DNR thing later, but right now they just wanted to be with Sofia. Right now she was stable and holding her own. So she was still fighting.


	6. Properly Chastised

A/N I know Callie's reaction to Mark's tirade was disappointing but this entire chapter will be devoted to Callie and Mark and why Callie didn't jump to Arizona's defense.

Properly Chastised

The next day had come and with it a fever for Callie. The reason for Callie's fever was being attributed to Callie pushing herself too much. So she was prevented from seeing Sofia because no one wanted Sofia to become ill. So Callie had all sorts of time to think about what Mark had said. She was furious with him and she wished she had immediately defended Arizona from the moment he had lit into her. That was a mistake and one that she never planned to make again. Mark was her best friend, but Arizona was the woman she loved and she wouldn't stand by and watch him disrespect Arizona again. She had made the excuse to Lexie that the stress had caused it but there was no excuse for it. No reason for Mark to have lit into Arizona like he had done.

Callie knew that Mark wouldn't leave Sofia's side for anything, but she needed to talk to him. She had texted him about twenty minutes ago and he had yet to respond. That only furthered her anger towards him. Finally he responded and told her that he'd be right there in about five minutes. Callie leaned back on the stack of pillows that she had been able to talk the nurses into giving her. She was exhausted over the last few days, but she was also angry. Right now, that anger was the main feeling. She could push back the exhaustion she was feeling to deal with the anger she was feeling.

Personally Mark was surprised that Callie hadn't jumped to Arizona's defense yesterday. He had completely expected her to jump to Arizona's defense after he had gone off on her. Mark suspected he was being summoned to Callie's room to talk about that very incident. Of course Mark felt rotten for saying it, and the truth of the matter was that he never should have said it. Arizona was Callie's life and Arizona was a huge part of Sofia's life. Mark and Arizona hadn't spoken to each other since Mark had asked her if they could fake the reconciliation. He wasn't good at apologies but he knew that both Arizona and Callie deserved them and even more. He had a lot to do if he wanted to make things right with both of them.

When he finally walked into Callie's hospital room, he didn't dare offer a smile. He knew that it wouldn't be returned. Callie looked tired but she also looked angry. Mark had seen her angry before, but he had never seen her this livid. Truthfully she kind of scared him. Not that he would ever admit that though. An angry Callie was very dangerous. Callie knew that Mark knew why he was there. He wouldn't even look her in the eye. Despite his recent behavior he wasn't usually a complete moron. Instead of starting off with a stream of yelling, Callie asked about Sofia.

"How's Sofia doing?"

"She's stable. Her blood pressure looks better though." Mark answered. He was confused. He had thought he was being brought into the room to listen to Callie scream at him for disrespecting Arizona. Callie nodded, glad to know that Sofia was doing a bit better number-wise. Now that that was out of the way, she and Mark could have a real discussion.

"Why would you ever say what you said to Arizona. Especially in front of Sofia. My God Mark that was mean And cruel and I'd really like to think you aren't cruel. That was awful. You made the woman I love cry. That is unacceptable. I wish that I had defended her because I should have. She's an amazing woman who loves me and loves Sofia more than anything. She told me she was in this despite the fact that she knew it wouldn't be easy on her. She knew you two would both be involved in Sofia's life but she was willing to put her dislike of you on the back burner and focus on Sofia. And then you just start yelling at her and you blame her for the wreck Mark. How could you do that? That day was awful and there was a real chance Sofia and I could have died that day."

Callie was livid and if Mark understood Spanish she would have been screaming at him in Spanish, but since he didn't, Callie stuck with English. Mark had no words. Strangely he was glad to see Callie finally defending Arizona even if it was twelve hours after the offense had occurred. He started to speak, but Callie held up her hand. She wasn't done and Mark was grateful for that because he still had no idea what he would have said.

"I'm in love with Arizona and I cannot wait to marry that woman. You have to understand that while we share a child together, you have no place in our relationship. Arizona feels as though you come first with me and I have got to change that if we have any chance at making us work. You need to learn boundaries Mark. That means you can't just barge into the apartment uninvited anymore." Callie continued. She and Arizona had talked last night after Lexie and Mark had gone to get some sleep and Callie had reassured Arizona that she loved her and that she couldn't wait to marry her. Mark was suddenly feeling like a chastised five year old. He knew that everything that Callie said was right. He knew that he had acted like a complete asshole last night. He also knew that he did in fact have boundary issues. He was still at a loss for words and he hoped that Callie wasn't done yelling at him because he still had no idea what to say. An apology wasn't enough in this situation. He needed to do something else.

"She's not nothing Mark. She's the woman I love more than anything. She's Sofia's Mama too, you know. She's a big part of Sofia's life and that is not going to change," Callie told Mark, her voice dropping slightly. She was done for the time being and now she waited for Mark to say something.

Mark knew that it was his turn to speak and he really wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. Yes he was sorry and no of course he didn't mean it. He needed to say something eloquent though and he was not known for his eloquent speeches. He finally was able to catch Callie's eye and he noticed that her face had softened slightly.

"I am sorry, but I know that's not enough. I have a lot to do to make it up to both of you. I still cannot believe that I lost my temper in front of Sofia. That was one thing I swore to myself that I would never do. I don't want to be that guy. That guy who loses his temper in front of his children." Mark began quietly. The fact that he had yelled at Sofia's Mama Arizona in front of Sofia was unacceptable to him. It didn't even matter that Sofia was a baby. Her jump in heart rate last night had been proof that she sensed the fight.

"Did you mean it?" Callie asked softly. She hoped that he didn't mean it. Arizona had worked hard to prove that she wasn't going anywhere. She had worked hard to prove her loyalty to Callie and Sofia.

The fact that Callie even had to ask him if he meant it hurt. Of course Mark hadn't meant it. He wasn't sure what had caused his temper to flare so quickly. He wished he could offer an explanation, but he couldn't.

"No of course I didn't." Mark told her honestly.

"Then why the hell did you say it?" Callie demanded. Mark was not giving her satisfactory answers and Callie was not happy.

"Why does anyone say mean things? Maybe because they're scared or stupid or just mean." Mark replied. Callie wanted to kill him. He wasn't giving her answers that she could live with.

"That's a cop out Mark and you know it." Callie accused.

"I don't fucking know okay. It just came out and before I could take it back I had Arizona in tears and you and Lexie were in complete shock." Mark told her. He was growing frustrated because he couldn't find the right words to express his regret. He was proving that he was not good with words of an apologetic nature.

"Because you had never yelled at her like that. I was angry and shocked and I should have stood up for her and I regret that I didn't." Callie responded.

"Arizona's a good person and she loves you and Sofia and I regret what I said to her." Mark finally told Callie. That was honest and sincere. Mark wasn't entirely sure that Callie would accept that and Mark knew that he had a lot of work to do to make it up to both Callie and Arizona. Callie decided just to let it go for a bit. She had other more pressing things to discuss with him.

"And while we're on the subject of Arizona. You have to understand that this baby belongs to four people. You cannot keep making decisions about her and just assuming that we'll all agree with you. I know Derek's the best neurosurgeon but last night I told Addison that I want Archer to consult on the case. Derek's too close to the case because of you and I know you dislike Archer intensely but you have to stop being a total asshole Mark. This is about what's best for Sofia and Arizona and I think that Archer is it." Mark couldn't believe that Callie and Arizona had gone over his head and requested Archer's presence on Sofia's case when Mark had explicitly said no. Callie could see that Mark was once again fuming so she continued to talk.

"No one is taking your place in Sofia's life Mark. She loves her Daddy just like she loves all three of her moms. You aren't any more important than Arizona is or than I am or Lexie is. We are all important in Sofia's life and if you would stop being such an asshole then you would realize that." Callie informed him with a glare. Callie was sick of Mark always announcing that he was the father. The whole damn hospital knew that from the moment the pregnancy was announced and Callie wished he would just stop.

"And as for you repeatedly announcing that you are the father, everyone knows that Mark. You have made that very clear from the moment the pregnancy was common knowledge. I will not take that title from you, but I am begging you to stop staking your claim on her. There are four parents who love her and who want her to have the best care in the world. We have other people's opinions to listen to. Your opinions don't carry more weight because you are a biological parent." Callie finally told him. Mark sighed, knowing that Callie was right and he was once again in the wrong.

Mark couldn't tell her that he was terrified that Callie and Arizona would try to push him out of Sofia's life. Before their latest blowup, Arizona had reassured him that he would not be pushed out and up until yesterday he'd believed her. He knew if he told Callie this, that she would think he was trying to excuse his behavior and that was absolutely not his reasoning at all. Callie didn't know why Mark had gone very quiet all of a sudden. It wasn't like him at all.

"We've got to figure out how we can make the best decisions for Sofia together. Sofia's well being has to be our number one goal Mark. Not trying to one up someone or avoid talking to someone." Callie told him. She was insistent that they had to fight for their daughter. There was no guarantee that Sofia would make it, but Callie wasn't giving up on her. After the discussion with Arizona last night, she had finally come to the conclusion that as long as Sofia was stable, they would continue to fight for her. Finally Mark nodded again. He knew she was right. Sofia was the number one priority. He had told Lexie that the night Sofia was born but in the last few days he had not acted in Sofia's best interests. He knew she was stronger than she looked and he knew he could never be the one to stop her fight.

"When is Archer coming?" Mark finally asked. He figured that he should try to stay civil to Archer no matter how much he disliked the older man. Callie was surprised that he had finally accepted the idea. She hoped that this meant that he was going to put Sofia's well being before his own desire to avoid Archer.

"In a few days. Addison wants Sofia to have a few days of recovery under her belt before her brain is checked out." Callie replied.

"How do I make it up to her Cal?" Mark asked. He did feel remorseful and he wanted desperately to make things better. He and Arizona would be parents for the rest of Sofia's life, no matter how long that was. They had to get along better. For Sofia's benefit. Callie couldn't believe Mark was asking her for advice on how to fix things between himself and Arizona. That wasn't her job. Mark had to do that on his own. If Callie helped, it would feel less sincere to Arizona and Callie wanted Arizona and Mark to eventually be able to be civil.

"You need to figure it out on your own Mark. You made her cry and that isn't something early remedied." Callie pointed out. Mark sighed, knowing that Callie was right. He had to do a lot of groveling on his own and with no help from anyone. Of course he had done stupid things in the past, but he could count on probably one hand the number of times he had been genuinely sorry. There was something that he needed to ask Callie though before he started working on his plans for a sincere apology.

"Why didn't you defend her Cal?" Mark finally asked. Callie sighed. She had known that question would come up and it had. It had come up with Arizona too and she had struggled to find a reason. The reasons she had come up with were too damn simple.

"I was in shock at what you said to her and I was overwhelmed. I mean Addison and Teddy were asking about signing a DNR and then you went nuts on Arizona. It was all just too damn much for me to handle in one day." Callie finally answered. Mark was surprised that it was something as simple as that.

"I assume you apologized to Arizona?" Mark asked. Callie nodded. She knew Arizona wasn't quite ready to forgive her yet, but the good thing was that she hadn't bailed on the non-traditional family. Apologizing to Arizona was not an experience that she was willing to repeat anytime soon.

"And now I need to do the same." Mark said mostly to himself. He just wasn't sure how to go about it just yet. That would require some careful thought and consideration on his part.

"No you need to do more than apologize Mark. You need to grovel on you hands and knees." Callie informed him seriously. Mark nodded when Callie spoke to him. He knew she was once again right. He knew that getting Arizona's forgiveness was going to be next to impossible, but he was doing it for Sofia.

"Now go sleep Mark. You've been exposed to whatever caused my fever and Sofia does not need to get it. Go get some sleep." Callie told him. No way was Mark going to sleep now. He was going to work on getting Arizona's forgiveness. He knew sleep would not come until he did that. He nodded to Callie, hoping she'd believe that he was going to sleep. Of course Callie didn't believe him, but she didn't want to deal with whatever he was planning right now. Mark didn't smile at her as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in this whole time. He left her room and went in search of Arizona.


	7. Words

A/N I had a bit of a writer's block with this fic. I still honestly don't like the way this chapter turned out, but after tinkering with it for about an hour, I've leaving it alone. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Words

Two days had passed and with it came no changes in Sofia. She was still holding her own. In fact her numbers were actually looking better as the days passed. That was attributed to the surgery. Mark was still in the doghouse with all three women with whom he shared a daughter. Lexie was still was pretty livid over the whole thing. She and Mark hadn't shared a bed since he had had that tirade. She didn't trust him and he had a lot to do before that trust could be rebuilt. Callie and Mark had managed to be polite to one another, but Mark understood that he had a lot of work in front of him. He and Arizona still hadn't spoken since that night.

Mark was sitting slumped over in the attending's lounge. He was exhausted and all he wanted was to be forgiven. He had chosen this place to hide out because he knew that this was the last place anyone would ever look because he was still off work. He knew that forgiveness was going to take a long time for him to get. He didn't hear anyone come in so he was surprised to hear a female voice.

"Sloan? What are you doing in here?" Came Miranda Bailey's voice. The only woman Mark was truly intimidated by. After all when she had stood up for him, she couldn't really come up with anything complimentary. Mark was worried about what she'd say to him now. He wasn't sure if she had talked to Arizona or Callie or Lexie. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"It's quiet in here. I needed quiet. "Mark explained. Bailey rolled her eyes as she watched the man in front of her. He seemed to be barely holding on. Like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He was a moron but right now he seemed to be the most human she had ever seen him.

"You're hiding from three women who are out for blood." Miranda corrected knowingly. Mark sighed, wondering how on earth she had nailed that so quickly. The short answer was that she was Miranda Bailey. She knew everything. Even things people didn't want her to know.

"How do I fix this?" Mark asked. At this point he was desperate enough to ask Miranda Bailey for advice.

"Oh no I am not helping you fix this. This is something you have to do on your own." Miranda informed him. Mark's head dropped further. He really didn't know how to fix this. The other day after talking to Callie he had gone in search of Arizona and she was no where to be found. She was managing to ignore him quite well in the last few days.

"You know what your problem is Sloan?" Miranda asked as she sat down on one of the armchairs in the room. She wasn't even giving Mark a chance to say anything. She needed to get some things out to Mark. She needed him to understand things from a different perspective.

"Please do tell me where I always fuck up." Mark told her sarcastically. He really did not want to hear what his problems were. Especially not from Bailey who had never liked him from the moment he had joined the staff.

"You hide. When things get really hard you hide. You don't just deal with things as they come. Case in point the collapse of your relationship with Lexie Grey last year." Miranda started. Normally she didn't get into her colleagues personal life, but in this case that rule was being temporarily thrown out.

Mark was confused now. Why was Miranda Bailey talking about his personal life? He knew she hated talking about that. She had made that very clear a long time ago.

"What does last year have to do with me hiding?" Mark demanded.

"Your daughter showed up and instead of dealing with Lexie's feelings about the whole situation, you threw yourself into spoiling your eighteen year old twit of a daughter. You used your daughter to avoid talking about feelings." Miranda informed him. Now it was Mark's turn to roll his eyes at Miranda Bailey's information. He was sure that Miranda Bailey had completely lost it. Come to think of it he was not altogether pleased with Miranda Bailey calling his daughter a twit. Mark knew that Sloane wasn't exactly the smartest young woman in the world. He also knew that she had used him for money and a place to live, but she was his daughter in spite of all of that.

"You are dead wrong. I wanted to get to know her." Mark insisted.

"At the expense of your relationship with Lexie." Miranda countered.

"She's family. You make sacrifices for family." Mark snapped. Miranda wondered why on earth she was insisting on talking to Mark. He was so infuriating.

"Lexie thought she was family to you too. She thought you wanted a life with her." Miranda told Mark softly. Miranda had had to pick up Meredith Grey after Derek Shepherd had dumped her and then years later she had tried to help Lexie Grey as well, but for the most part had left that up to Cristina Yang, Lexie's resident. That stopped Mark cold. Of course Lexie had thought they were a family. Just because she didn't want kids yet didn't mean she should have been any less important to him. He had planned to propose before Sloane had arrived and turned their lives upside down. Of course he should have consulted Lexie before Sloane moved in and Mark spent so much time trying to connect with her.

"I hate talking about feelings." Mark muttered.

"That only proves that you are a straight man." Miranda told him. Again, Mark rolled his eyes. He didn't need Miranda Bailey to tell him that he was a straight man. He already freaking knew that. Miranda had always known that verbal communication in Mark's personal life was pretty nonexistent. Verbal communication was one of Mark's weakest traits.

"How can we all be good parents if two of us can't stop screaming at each other?" Mark asked. His voice was uncharacteristically small now as he looked at Miranda for the answer. He was scared to death of screwing his daughter up. Sofia needed all of her parents to come together and figure their individual roles out. Figure this quad-parenting thing out. He didn't want to disappoint Sofia like his father had disappointed him.

"You need to put aside your differences and remember who's important. Sofia and her well being is the most important." Miranda told him. Of course Mark knew that, but the last week and a half had been rough on him and he was afraid that the words he had spoken had caused too much damage for any kind of true reconciliation.

"How do I get her to forgive me?" Mark asked. Of course he meant Arizona because he had committed the biggest offense against her.

"You grovel and beg for her forgiveness and then you do it again and again until she forgives you. Flowers wouldn't be a horrible idea either." Miranda told him. She had only helped him because he had honestly looked so lost and confused. She probably should have let him figure it out on his own though. As it turned out though, Mark really hadn't needed her help on how to fix it.

"I already planned that." Mark told her. Miranda was relieved. So he wasn't a complete moron after all.

"Then you don't need me." Miranda told him. She hoped he'd go track down these women and apologize. The sooner the better. Mark needed to do this for Sofia's sake. Miranda knew he'd do anything for that little baby so she hoped Mark would make amends with these three women.

"Uh… Thank you." Mark told her. Miranda nodded in his direction as she stood up. Mark didn't even ask her where she thought they may be. He figured that she wouldn't tell him even if she knew.

"Fix this." Miranda told him firmly before she left the room. That was precisely Mark's intention, but first he had to find these women. He decided to go look for Arizona first. She was the one who he really needed to fix things with.

Mark wasn't sure whose turn it was to sit with Sofia right now. He decided to head there first just to see if Arizona was there sitting with their daughter. He really needed to make things right with Arizona. His best friend loved this woman and Mark knew that given the choice, Callie would chose Arizona over him in a heartbeat. That was how it should be. In the past Mark had tried, without realizing it, to come between Callie and Arizona. Mark wanted Callie to be happy and he knew that she loved Arizona with all her heart. Mark needed to back up and allow them to have a relationship that didn't include him.

Turning a corner, Mark found himself facing the big window that was a part of the NICU. Sofia had been moved back into the NICU this morning after having yet another stable night. He saw Arizona sitting by Sofia's incubator, stroking her arm. Mark knew that it was going to be next to impossible to get her to leave Sofia's side, so he decided to go in and see his daughter and maybe talk to Arizona. That is, if she'd allow him to.

"Hey." Mark spoke quietly as he made his way to Sofia's incubator. Arizona had been so focused on Sofia that she hadn't even heard any footsteps. When she heard Mark's voice, she froze. She didn't want to have to deal with him. She wasn't ready to hear what he had to say to her.

"What are you doing here?" Arizona asked harshly. He had interrupted her time with Sofia and Arizona was not happy with him for that.

"I was kind of hoping we could talk." Mark told her. He knew that she wasn't happy to see him. He knew that Arizona disliked him and that his latest tirade had only made things worse.

"I have nothing to say to you." Arizona told him coldly, her crystal blue eyes not leaving Sofia's body.

"But I have things to say to you." Mark countered quietly. He was not going to be unkind to her anymore. He had done that far too many times and he was done with that.

"Come to yell at me some more?" Arizona inquired bitterly. She and Callie may have had a long discussion about the incident, but Arizona was still feeling threatened by Mark's presence in Callie's life.

"No." Mark told her simply. For the first time since Mark had joined her in the NICU, Arizona took her eyes off Sofia and turned to look at Mark. Almost instantly, she could tell that he had been having a rough time. Probably not as rough as her last few days, but still pretty rough.

"Then…why?" Arizona asked confusedly. She had no idea why he was there. They hadn't exactly gotten along well even before Callie had gotten pregnant. After his tirade a few days ago, they had been able to avoid each other completely for which Arizona was grateful.

"Because what I said was so far out of line I still cannot believe that I said that. Callie loves you and Sofia is the luckiest little girl in the world to have four parents who love her." Mark told Arizona simply. Arizona was surprised that Mark was saying this. Of course she was suspicious. She was sure that Callie had put him up to apologizing to her. Mark knew that Arizona was likely to be suspicious of the apology. Mark knew there was nothing he could say to her to prove it was sincere. He would just have to hope that Arizona accepted the apology.

"It's not that easy Mark. You can't just apologize and hope things are all good again. Do you have any idea how hurt I was?" Arizona asked softly. She didn't want to disturb any of the babies in the NICU so she was talking softly.

"I know what I said was inexcusable and that it hurt your feelings." Mark told her quietly. Arizona was already shaking her head. He didn't really understand what she had felt that day. Everyone knew he was the father, but she was only Mama's fiancée. She was nothing legally. He had managed to narrow in on her biggest insecurity instantaneously.

"No Mark, you didn't just hurt my feelings. You crushed my heart. You hit on my biggest insecurity two times. I have had these nightmares where Callie dies in that damn accident and you go through every channel possible to keep me away from Sofia." Arizona told him softly. Mark couldn't believe she was telling him this. He also couldn't believe that Arizona had had these nightmares. If anything had happened to Callie, Mark never would have kept Sofia from her. Despite their many disagreements, Mark knew how important Sofia was to Arizona and how much Arizona loved Sofia.

"I never would have done that. I know what Sofia means to you." Mark told her softly. He wasn't sure if she would believe him, but he was being truthful.

Arizona stood up and headed towards the door. She beckoned Mark to follow her out of the NICU so they could talk a bit louder. Mark was confused as to why Arizona suddenly wanted to leave Sofia's side to go talk outside of the NICU. He followed her, still wearing that look of confusion on his face.

"Why did you bring me out here?" Mark asked as soon as he had joined her at the window.

"Just in case we get into another screaming match." Arizona told him with a tiny smile. Mark had proved that he had a hot temper and Arizona's temper was usually kept in check but given the craziness of the last ten days, Arizona wasn't sure how long she could keep her temper in check anymore. Mark hoped that they could avoid getting into another screaming match but he wasn't willing to bet anything. He had a lot of work ahead of him before Arizona and him could be friends. He was willing to put the work in. He just wasn't sure if Arizona was willing to put the work in.

"I think we should sign the guardianship papers. Just in case something happens to Callie and I. Callie and I would want you to be Sofia's guardian." Mark told Arizona. Mark and Callie had discussed it once but they had never made it official. Arizona was confused as to why Callie had never told her that the two legal parents had decided on this. She didn't understand why she hadn't known that this was going to be done. This was the best gift she could have asked for.

"Really?" Arizona whispered as she looked in the window at the tiny baby in the incubator.

"Really. You are her mother every bit as much as Callie is and Lexie is." Mark told her. Arizona looked at her fingernails and then looked at Mark. She wasn't going to believe it until it actually happened and she had the signed and notarized piece of paper in her hands.

"What about Lexie?" Arizona finally asked. Now Mark was confused. He had thought Arizona was going to be over the moon, but instead she was asking more questions.

"What about Lexie?" Mark questioned back.

"If something happens to you, don't you want her to be Sofia's legal guardian?" Arizona asked.

"Callie and I would want you both to share in the task of raising her." Mark told Arizona.

"So let me get this straight, my soon to be wife dies as does the father of our daughter and I still have to share Sofia with her dad's girlfriend?" Arizona demanded. She was trying to keep her voice down but she was about to throttle Mark.

"Let's not focus on that right now Arizona." Mark told her quickly. He had been hoping to tell her something good and now it was not going the way he wanted. He wanted Callie to be here when they discussed it and he regretted bringing it up to Arizona now.

"Fine, I'm going back in to see Sofia." Arizona told him. She was annoyed with him and she hoped that he wasn't going to follow her into the NICU. Right now, she wanted to spend time alone with her baby girl.

"Right behind you." Mark told her. Arizona groaned under her breath as she rejoined her daughter. As selfish as it sounded, she really didn't want to share Sofia with Mark right now. She was still finding Mark exasperating but they had finally managed a conversation that didn't culminate in a screaming match. Right now, Arizona counted that as a victory and she hoped that thing would continue to improve between them. He was not forgiven for what he had said to her, but to his credit he had apologized. Arizona suspected that he hated making apologies to anyone so the fact that he had apologized was a step in the right direction. At least in her eyes. Mark hoped that they had hit their low point and that things would only improve from there. Mark loved Arizona for the love she had for Sofia and Callie. That was important and Mark was grateful to Arizona for everything she was doing for Callie and Arizona. The two parents settled beside their daughter's incubator for what promised to be a long night.


	8. The Harsh Truth

A/N No excuses. I re-read the story last night and I fell in love with it all over again.

The Harsh Truth

Nothing ever really shocked Archer Montgomery anymore. He had lived through his childhood not realizing that his mother was living a lie so when he found out that his mother was a lesbian, he was sure that nothing would ever top that. Well getting a phone call from his sister asking him to come to Seattle and consult on a case had changed that. Not initially, mind you, but once he was told that the case in question was Mark's micro-preemie daughter, now he was shocked. Mark had a kid? Well Addison had let it slip about Mark's nearly grown daughter already but Mark now had another child?

The whole thing made no sense. Why was he being asked to consult on the case when he knew that Mark couldn't stand him? Archer didn't understand why Mark wasn't having his best friend and Archer's ex brother in law Derek consult on the case? Nevertheless Archer agreed to come to Seattle and take on this case.

Archer stepped off of the plane and went straight into his sister's waiting arms. He had a dozen questions about the whole thing and he hoped that Addison could answer them. Addison could see the questions in his eyes. She wasn't sure how much she should tell him, but she knew he should know at least a little bit.

"Mark got someone pregnant and he didn't run out on her. He stayed and supported her throughout the pregnancy at the expense of his relationship. The pregnancy nearly ruined her relationship too "Addison explained. She didn't feel the need to explain much further. She didn't want Archer peppering her or the others with questions either so she said a simple statement and hoped Archer wouldn't press the issue. Archer could tell that his sister didn't want to answer any more of his questions so he kept quiet.

Traffic slowed their drive to the hospital significantly so that by the time they arrived at the hospital, Addison was frustrated and Archer was antsy. They both made their way to the NICU so Archer could get familiar with the case. Before they had even reached the NICU, they both heard alarms going off. Both of them broke into a run, hoping that they weren't too late. They arrived just in time to see Mark being pushed out of the NICU.

"What the hell is going on?" Addison demanded. She hoped that if it was Sofia, that Callie and Arizona and Lexie had been notified. Archer took in Mark's distraught face and actually felt sympathy for him.

"We're losing her Addie." Mark whispered. He had been with her when the monitors had gone off. He was scared out of his mind. Sofia was fighting so hard and Mark was terrified that she was losing the fight.

"You don't know that." Archer told him. Archer was attempting to be comforting but he could tell that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Mark clearly wasn't paying attention to a word that had come out of his mouth.

Just then Callie and Lexie appeared. Callie took one look at Mark's face and the swarm of doctors and nurses around Sofia's isolette and her heart clenched. Lexie had to swallow past the lump that had lodged in her throat as she reached for Mark's hand. He took it and squeezed it tightly. He was so glad she was there. Right now Lexie didn't care that Mark had been an ass. Right now, all she cared about was Sofia.

"Where's Arizona?" Addison asked urgently.

"Surgery." Lexie whispered. Callie seemed to be unable to speak. Mark wished that Arizona was here. She needed to be here just in case this was it for Sofia.

"Page her." Mark murmured.

Archer still had a dozen questions but he knew now would be the worst time ever to ask them so he kept silent and waited along with the others to find out if Sofia was going to survive whatever this was.

"I will." Addison told the group quietly. Addison knew how grim this looked and like Mark, she knew Callie needed to be here just in case. She paged Arizona 911 and prayed Arizona got there in time.

"Who's in with her?" Lexie asked.

"Stark, Altman, Bailey and about ten nurses." Mark whispered. Archer took another look at Mark and made a beeline for the sterile gowns. He needed to check her neuro status. He guessed they hadn't paged Derek or he would have been in there with her.

"Archer, what…?" Mark croaked confusedly. Mark never would have guessed that Archer would have taken the initiative to insert himself into Sofia's team.

"She needs a neurologist in there." Archer informed the terrified father simply.

"Go Archie." Addison murmured. Mark barely nodded, but that was enough for Archer. He grabbed a gown and Lexie tied it at the back for him, her hands shaking. Archer went into the NICU and the four who were left were just left to wait.

Arizona had gotten the 911 page and her heart constricted. She just knew it was about Sofia. She didn't need confirmation, she just needed to run. Later she would remember she had left her pager in the on call room but right then her mind was focused on one thing. Get to Sofia. Reaching the NICU, her heart pounded. She could see the flurry of activity inside the NICU and then her eyes locked with Addison's. In that instant, she knew she had been right to hurry. She knew things were bad.

"What happened?" Arizona asked. Addison looked at Mark only because he had been the one who was with her when this had happened.

"Her monitors went off. I don't know what happened. Her monitors went off and then nurses were pushing me out of the NICU. Doctors were rushing in." Mark whispered. He wished he knew what had happened. He hadn't taken his eyes off the flurry of activity since it had began.

After what seemed like hours Sofia's team came to talk to the group who were anxiously waiting for news. The team was looking to Bailey to talk first.

"She coded, but we were able to get her back." Bailey told them first. Callie couldn't believe that her daughter had flatlined again. Maybe she wasn't being fair to Sofia. Maybe she needed to let nature take it's course, whatever course that might be.

"What caused the code?" Mark asked, his voice hoarse from tears that he had choked back.

"Possibly a seizure but we aren't sure yet." Archer put in quietly.

"When will you be sure?" Callie asked impatiently.

"As soon as we can get her in for an MRI." Archer told the group quietly.

"With two instances of oxygen deprivation, how sure are we that she'll have some form of brain damage?" Lexie asked. Arizona knew the answer to the question already, but she was a mom right now and not a doctor.

"About 100% sure." Archer told her softly. Mark felt sick to his stomach. His baby daughter was going to have some form of brain damage. He didn't want her to live like that. It wasn't fair.

"What do we do?" Arizona asked as she looped her arm around Callie's waist, steadying her.

"We'll know more after the MRI tomorrow. She's stable and for today, that's all we can hope for." Teddy murmured. She had remained quiet throughout the discussion with the group only because this was Bailey's and Archer's case. Her job had finished with Sofia's PDA fixed.

"I want to sign that DNR." Callie whispered as tears brimmed in her eyes. She knew Sofia was getting weaker and she was losing the fight. Callie had sworn that as long as Sofia was fighting, she would let her but now Callie wanted to end her suffering.

"No Calliope." Arizona choked out. She knew the circumstances were dire, but Sofia still had fight in her. Arizona could feel it. Addison watched Callie and Arizona. She understood both sides, but Sofia was getting weaker and maybe forcing her to fight was selfish.

"It's what's best for her." Mark agreed. Of course he didn't want to lose Sofia, but he also wanted to be able to end her suffering.

"We want to do what's best for Sofia, Arizona. Maybe this is it?" Lexie added. Arizona could see that she was outnumbered and she was furious. She bit her lip, knowing that Callie believed this was the right thing to do for Sofia. Legally she had no recourse to overturn the DNR.

"Where's the form?" Mark asked. Wordlessly Teddy passed it to him. This was hard on all of them and they wanted to believe that they'd never have to deal with this directly, but those chances were slim. Sofia was stable now, but they all knew that could change in an instant. Once Mark was done signing his name on the form, he passed it to Callie. Callie signed it at once without even hesitating.

"Can I see her?" Callie asked. Bailey nodded, knowing that keeping Callie away from Sofia would be impossible.

"I'm coming with you." Mark told her. He needed to spend as much time with Sofia as possible in case she succumbed to her poor health.

"Me too." Arizona told them with a slight nod. She was still angry at the decision that had been made without her consent, but she wanted to soak up time with Sofia.

"Count me in." Lexie added. She certainly was not going to be left out, particularly after receiving such a grim prognosis for Sofia. Addison needed to talk to Sofia's team. She had no doubt that they had told Sofia's family the truth but she suspected Archer didn't need an MRI to diagnose Sofia.

The four parents went into the NICU after donning the protective gear and they circled the isolette protectively. Arizona's blue eyes focused on Sofia's sats. Mark stroked Sofia's right foot which was the only part of Sofia's body not married with tubes and wires. Lexie stood beside Mark, still holding his hand and her head resting on his shoulder. Callie was sitting down by Sofia's head saying her prayers in Spanish. Maybe Sofia would be spared. Maybe God would do this for all of them. No one could be sure.


	9. Wait

**A/N No excuse but on the bright side,my muse is back!**

Wait

Addison watched the parents go in to see Sofia and she turned to look at the rest of Sofia's team. She didn't need to hear Archer say a word. She knew what was about to be said before he actually said it. The very thought of Sofia having significant brain damage was enough for Addison to want to vomit.

"Prognosis?" Addison whispered as she looked at Archer. Addison knew that her brother would be honest with her even if it would be hard to hear his honest answer.

"Five percent." Archer responded. Addison had known it was going to be bad, but she had had no idea how bad it was going to be. This wasn't fair. She was sick at the thought that her friends would likely be losing their daughter. If it had been any other patient, any other family she would have been more aware of how serious it was.

"You know what caused the code, don't you?" Bailey asked Archer with a slight catch in her voice.

"Yes it was a seizure." Archer confirmed quietly. A pit was rapidly forming in Miranda Bailey's stomach. This baby belonged to Callie Torres, Mark Sloan, Arizona Robbins and Lexie Grey. All four of them had been a part of Miranda's life for varying lengths of time, and they were all genuinely good people. Yes even Mark Sloan, who Miranda had not liked very much at the very beginning.

"What do we do?" A previously quiet Teddy questioned.

"We wait." Archer said solemnly. Addison looked at him in surprise. She wasn't used to Archer being so calm and serious. This was a different Archer than she remembered.

"And if she arrests again?" Teddy asked. She knew that Sofia's two biological parents had signed the DNR but she needed to make sure that everyone was going to honor that DNR no matter how hard it was to even think about let alone actually do it.

"Then we…we let her go." Addison choked out. Damn she hated this. Sofia was so loved by so many people and there was a good chance she wouldn't make it. She felt tears stinging her eyes but as part of Sofia's team, she couldn't let her tears fall. She had to remain professional. She would stay until things were all over. Until Sofia was gone and buried or until she beat the odds and went home to her family.

At that moment Derek came by. He had missed all the commotion and he nearly always stopped by the NICU at this time to see his best friend's baby. He scanned the solemn faces of Sofia's team and his stomach clenched uncomfortably. He didn't want to voice the thoughts that were running through his head.

"How is she?" He asked.

"She had a seizure which caused her to flatline. We got her back but…" Addison trailed off knowing that Derek could fill in the blanks.

"But things don't look good." Derek finished glumly.

"Mark and Callie. They…they signed the DNR." Miranda murmured, her voice catching.

"Oh…well maybe that's for the best." Derek murmured. He was worried about Mark now. He knew Mark had been devastated when his older daughter had cut off all ties with him and Derek couldn't imagine how he was feeling now.

"She won't be able to survive another seizure." Archer commented quietly. Derek hadn't even noticed Archer's presence until he spoke. He was too focused on getting an update on Sofia.

"Archer, what the hell are you doing here?" Derek asked. He couldn't believe that he hadn't been the one called on Sofia's case.

"They asked me to come because you were too close to the case." Archer told Derek gently. Derek gritted his teeth even though he knew that Archer had a point. Mark was his best friend and this was taking its toll on Derek as well even though he was doing his best to hide it. Addison took this moment to let the tears finally fall. She couldn't hold them in any longer.

"Excuse me." Addison whispered as she fled the corridor as tears continued to slide down her cheeks. Miranda and Teddy both made a move as if to follow her, but Derek stopped them with a hand.

"She just needs a minute." Derek told them. He was worried about Addison and so without a word, he turned and headed off in the direction that Addison had gone. He knew Addison better than almost anyone in the world. He knew he could help her.

Inside the NICU the atomosphere was sobering. Their baby girl now had a signed DNR in her file. Arizona was not happy that it had been signed. Neither was Lexie. They both understood why Mark and Callie had done it but it didn't make them feel any better about this situation.

"Such a special baby girl." Lexie whispered.

"She's beautiful. She looks nothing like her Daddy." Arizona commented softly before she shot a glare in Mark's direction.

"She is beautiful. She looks just like her Mama." Mark agreed quietly. He looked at Callie whose head was bowed in prayer. Callie had always believed in the power of prayer but she was losing faith in God's ability to listen to prayers. If there truly was a God why wasn't He healing her baby? Why wasn't He here, protecting Sofia from all the bad stuff?

"I...I don't want her alone. Not for one minute. One or two of us must always be with her." Callie whispered past the tears that threatened to choke her.

"Of course Calliope." Arizona whispered. Arizona didn't plan on going anywhere. She may not have agreed with everything that Mark and Callie had decided to do for their daughter, but she loved Callie and she loved Sofia.

"Arizona and I will take the first shift. You two go get some sleep."Lexie told both biological parents sternly. Mark and Callie hadn't slept much since their daughter was born and they couldn't afford to become ill. Sofia needed them healthy.

Mark was about to argue with Lexie but he stopped when he saw the look on Lexie's face. All the arguments he had ready disappeared. He looked at Callie who looked reluctant to leave her daughter. He knew getting Callie to leave would be next to impossible. He shot Arizona a pleading look knowing that Callie would only listen to Arizona right now.

"Go Calliope. We'll get you if something changes." Arizona promised. Slowly Callie nodded in Arizona's direction. She held out a hand for Mark to help her up, which Mark did. They left the NICU, each of them leaving a piece of their heart in that NICU.

Derek found Addison upstairs in the chapel. He couldn't remember the last time that he had seen Addison near anything resembling a church. She was sitting in the front pew with her head bowed. If Derek didn't know better, he'd swear she was praying.

"It isn't fair." Addison whispered as Derek walked up the aisle to join her in that front pew. He covered one of her hands with his and held it in what he hoped was a comforting manner. She lifted her head to look at him and he noticed that she had tear tracks running down her pale cheeks.

"I know it isn't. Meredith and I have been trying to get pregnant for months. Callie gets pregnant without even trying and then she gets put through a windshield. The universe is mean and so screwed up." Derek whispered. He remembered the conversation he had had with Meredith during the first night Callie had been brought to the hospital.

"Callie wanted Sofia. She…She called me the day she found out she was expecting. She told me that she was excited but nervous. I told her that Mark would be a wonderful father and that if Arizona truly loved her, that she'd stick around." Addison whispered.

"Mark was thrilled. He was so excited for the baby. Even though it cost him Lexie."Derek admitted quietly. They both ached for their friends. They couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

"Tell me that Archer is wrong. Tell me that Sofia doesn't have a five percent chance of survival. Please." Addison whispered.

"You know I can't Addie. If I truly didn't agree with Archer's predictions I would tell you that but he is a good neurologist and he knows what he is talking about." Derek told her softly. Addison rested her head against Derek's shoulder and wiped the lingering tears from her eyes.

Mark and Callie had managed to find an on call room and they had slipped into the room and locked it behind them. Years ago the locking of the door would have been a prelude to hot sweaty sex between the two of them. This time the door was locked to make sure no one came in there to bother them. They needed to take a time out. A time out from everything that was going on with their daughter. They needed to be allowed to cry and scream and get angry. None of the things their significant others would understand.

As soon as Mark had closed the door and locked it, Callie flew into his arms with tears pouring down her face. As much as she loved Arizona, Arizona could not truly understand the pain that Callie was experiencing. Mark was the only one in the world that could right now. Mark wrapped his arms around Callie's waist and buried his scruffy unshaven face into her hair. Only then did he truly feel like he could cry. Lexie was an amazing woman but she couldn't possibly understand what Callie and Mark were going through.

"Why?" Croaked a sobbing Callie. God Mark wished he had answers for Callie. After everything that had happened, they were facing the very real possibility of Sofia dying and dying soon.

"I wish I knew Cal." Mark whispered back against her jet black hair.

"It's punishment. God's punishing me for being with a woman. God's punishing me for my divorce." Callie whispered.

"No he isn't Callie. He gave us that beautiful little girl. He's not punishing anyone." Mark assured her. He wasn't sure if he believed in a higher power, but he knew that Callie did and right now, that was enough for him.

"I don't want her to suffer." Callie whispered as she rested a hand on Mark's chest. Sometimes it felt good to let Mark hold her. He was good at that though Callie would never tell him that.

"That's why we signed the DNR Cal." Mark murmured. He was sure that he looked like absolute hell right now but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was being here with Callie. In his heart, Mark knew that signing that DNR was the right thing to do for Sofia. If she was going to live a life of suffering, then neither Mark nor Callie wanted it to be a long life.

Callie knew she had never experienced this level of emotional pain. Everything she had gone through before was nothing compared to what she was facing now. She was convinced that she had cried a small ocean since Sofia's birth and no one expect for Mark could relate to this kind of gut wrenching pain.

"Should we start the…arrangements?" Callie whispered. Of course she didn't want to think of burying her daughter but she knew that if it happened, she wanted to have everything already arranged so she didn't have to concern herself with it.

"No Cal…We can't. We have to just wait and see." Mark told her. He couldn't think of starting the arrangements before his daughter was even gone. She was still fighting, damn it and he wasn't going to give up on her. Even if things didn't look promising. Even if she was growing weaker. Even if the doctors held out no hope. Callie knew that Mark was still holding out hope that Sofia would defy the odds. She wished that she too could hold onto that hope but any hope that she had was fading.

"Okay. We'll wait." Callie whispered as she rested her head on Mark's shoulder and silently begged the tears to please stop flowing. She was sick of crying. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to believe that God would heal her baby.

"Do you think there's a God Mark?" Callie whispered. Callie used to think that nothing in the world would shake her faith. The experience with Sofia had shaken her faith in God and she was now questioning his existence.

"I don't know Cal. It's hard to believe in God when there is so much crap in the world." Mark murmured.

"I don't think I believe in Him anymore Mark. He…He could let my baby…our baby live and instead…instead he's letting her die." Callie whispered as a fresh wave of tears hit her. Her blotchy face buried itself into Mark's shirt and she let the tears stream down her face once again.

"Don't Cal. If you keep thinking like that, it's gonna drive you crazy." Mark told her calmly. Callie drew in a ragged breath and attempted a small smile in his direction. She was going to try to take his advice even though she suspected that he didn't even believe in God.

"That's better. Now I think we should get some sleep." Mark suggested as he let go of Callie and turned to climb up to the top bunk.

"Wait, can you sleep next to me?" Callie whispered. She meant nothing by it. She just wanted to be lulled to sleep by Mark's heartbeat. Mark was a little uneasy about that. He was seeing Lexie and Callie was engaged to Arizona. Callie could tell that Mark was uneasy about this.

"Mark I'm not going to jump you. I love Arizona, but right now I just need you to hold me." Callie told him softly. Sighing Mark nodded and joined her in the bottom bunk. He pulled her body close to his, being mindful of those injuries that had yet to completely heal. He only fell asleep after Callie's breathing evened out, telling him that she was asleep.


End file.
